Custom Wood Countertop
Making Custom Wood Counter-tops
Choosing and having a wood counter top is more than just an aesthetic decision.
Over the next few days I will be posting on my experience with working with DeVos Custom Woodworking, a mill shop that specialized in solid wood surfaces. DeVos Custom Woodworking is located in Texas and I found them on the Internet searching for wood counter-tops.
DeVos Custom Woodworking was started by Dan Vos. De Vos, master craftsman, did not begin his career in woodworking until a serious illness in 1991 left him home-bound for months on end. In his recovery time at home, Dan began thinking and talking about woodworking as a hobby.
Dan’s wife gave him a table saw as a gift to encourage this new interest. An immediate love of woods and woodworking inspired Dan to start making wood furniture, not only for his family, but also for neighbors and friends.
In 1993, Dan began selling his creations at local flea markets, and his cutting boards, beds, chests and custom tables quickly became best sellers. Area designers, builders and homeowners began asking for Dan’s custom solid wood furniture, countertops and tables, and a new career was born.
DeVos Custom Woodworking now resides in a large, modern, well-equipped facility in Dripping Springs, Texas, where Dan and his crew produce elegant solid-wood products. We are truly a custom woodworking shop, and we take pride in each piece we make.
DeVos Custom Woodworking has been featured in numerous magazine articles and prize-winning kitchens. Though we build mostly countertops, island tops, custom tables, bars, vanity tops and cutting boards, as a custom woodworking shop we have built signature pieces of all kinds, from historic reproductions to restaurant tables.
The Value Of A Wood counter Top:
1. TRUSTWORTHY……You can safely chop or prepare food directly on wood counter-tops. According to testing performed by the Wisconsin Food Research Institute in 1993 and by the University of California-Davis Food Safety Laboratory in 1997, wood has antibacterial properties that other counter-top materials do not. Disease-causing bacteria, which can form on any cutting surface where food is prepared, disappear very quickly from wood surfaces, thereby making wood cutting surfaces the safest choice for cutting and preparation needs in the kitchen.
2. EASY TO MAINTAIN……Wood counter-tops are easy to maintain, and they can be repaired or renewed as necessary without special tools or skills.
3. SANITARY……Wood counter-tops are easy to clean with hot tap water and liquid dish washing soap, and easy to disinfect with a weak solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
4. BEAUTIFUL AND DURABLE……The unique grain patterns, tones and colors of wood, coupled with the heirloom-quality craftsmanship of DeVos Custom Woodworking, create beautiful and durable surfaces. Wood counter-tops and tables gain patina and depth as they age, and wood blends elegantly with all other surfaces and brings warmth to a room.
5. GREEN AND GENTLE……Wood is a natural product of our environment. The supply of wood is renewable by sustainable forestry practices used in this country, and we look for wood from reliable sources using sustainable forestry practices when we purchase from other countries. Another “green” characteristic of wood counter-tops and tables is that they require a minimum of chemical components and energy to produce.
6. SOUND DAMPENING…..unlike stone, which reverberates, wood has sound-dampening properties. A dishwasher or ice machine will be even quieter with wood counter-tops in the kitchen. Wood is a gentle and forgiving surface around dishes and glassware. Wood cutting surfaces do not dull your knives. Finely crafted wood surfaces are what you need for your modern kitchen!
See this counter top installed.